Trolling Spoons for Fresh Tech Report
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TECH REPORT #15 A Complete Guide on How to Effectively Fish with TROLLING SPOONS FOR FRESHWATER SALMON, STRIPED BASS & TROUT Trolling with spoons is a technique practiced and enjoyed everyday by KEEL SINKER thousands of fresh water anglers across the country. It’s an easy-to-learn TO ROD 4' - 6' LEADER COYOTE SPOON and use method which is particularly effective in lakes and reservoirs 12# - 30# LINE for large fish such as coho and chinook salmon, brown, cutthroat and SHALLOW TO MEDIUM - With the addition of a keel sinker 4 to 6 feet lake trout, striped bass and several varieties of rainbow trout including up the line from the spoon, shallow to medium depths can be trolled landlocked steelhead and Kamloops. effectively. Sinker weights, depending upon the depth desired, usually Spoons are effective because they closely resemble and imitate the run from 1 to 8 ounces with main line testing from 12 to 30 pounds. action of crippled baitfish . food which makes up a large part of the As in flatlining, let out 50 to 200 feet of line behind your moving boat diet of predatory gamefish. and begin the troll. Anglers who employ trolling as their #1 technique and understand fish and their habits can out fish anglers using other techniques. The reason DIPSY DIVER® & SPOON TO ROD COYOTE SPOON is simple: You cover a large area of water thoroughly in a short time, 4' to 6' LEADER pinpointing concentrations of fish or scattered lunkers with minimum effort. Trolling allows you to cover more water faster, easier and more DODGER completely than any other fishing technique. COYOTE SPOON A spoon should wobble from side-to-side and will produce its best LUHR JENSEN™ all-around, fish-catching action when trolled at speeds between the 48" LEADER 18" to 30" LEADER 20# - 30# LINE slowest that produces a wobble and the fastest darting action that DIPSY DIVER® does not cause the lure to revolve or spin. For fast trolling try the WITH "O" RING Krocodile.® Medium speed trolling spoons include the Coyote Spoon DIVERS - One effective way to get a spoon or spoon/attractor rig deep and Needlefish.® For general trolling at all speeds the Super Duper is without lead weights is with a diving sinker such as the Pink Lady, Deep an excellent choice. Six,™ Double Deep Six,™ Dipsy Diver® or Jet Diver™. The Dipsy Diver The best trolling spoons are lightweight and thin which will provide is particularly unique diving sinker as the lead weight in its base plate the most erratic, darting baitfish action in the water. Spoons such as can be shifted in degrees to produce starboard, port or behind the boat the Krocodile and Super Duper are manufactured in casting and trolling running. With the Dipsy Diver you now can troll off to either side of the models and it is important that you select the lightest weight models. For boat without interfering with flatlines or downrigger lines and cover an example, one die may stamp several different thicknesses of a spoon, extremely wide swath of water. Divers also act as fish attractors due to such as the Krocodile with sizes ranging from 1/6-oz. to 2 1/2-oz. models. their color and shape. Standard rigging with a diver is 4 to 6 feet of leader For trolling, you would choose the lighter 3/4-oz. or 1-oz. size. between spoon and diver and 20- to 30-lb. test main line to your rod. SPOON TROLLING RIGS You can attract more fish to your spoon and enhance spoon action Following are several diagrams of proven ways to rig a spoon for by adding a dodger to your outfit. Dodgers should be rigged in-line, 18 trolling. Note that dodgers often are used as attractors in conjunction to 30 inches from your spoon and 48 inches from your weight or diver. with spoons when fish are scattered or are in deep water. Use a larger size for bigger fish such as chinook, coho and lake trout and a smaller sized dodger for fish like trout. SURFACE (FLATLINE) DOWNRIGGERS - Spoons often are fished off a downrigger, either by TO ROD COYOTE SPOON themselves or in conjunction with a dodger or flasher. With a downrigger 50' to 150' you will be able to work all depths and will have the added advantage 8# - 20# LINE of no weights between you and the fish once hooked. Anglers who troll FLATLINE - With the surface or flatline technique, the spoon is tied spoons by themselves behind a downrigger, especially when seeking directly, via its attachment device, to 8- to 20-lb. test main line. No wary fish such as chinook or lake trout, often prefer 10 to 30 feet (some additional weights are used or, at most, a small 1/8- to 1/2-oz. keel- as much as 40 to 60 feet) between the line release and spoon. type sinker may be placed 6 feet up the line from the spoon. The spoon Dodgers can be used as attractors in conjunction with a spoon behind is let out behind your moving boat 50 to 200 feet and the troll begun. a downrigger with good results. Allow 18 to 30 inches of leader between This technique is particularly effective when trout, steelhead, stripers or spoon and dodger. Shorter leaders produce more frantic and faster spoon salmon are feeding near the surface, especially during low light periods. action while longer ones result in slower action. DOWNRIGGER SETUPS TEMPERATURE AND OXYGEN IMPROVED CLINCH KNOT In large fresh water lakes and reservoirs time of day isn’t nearly as critical as locating the preferred temperature level for the fish species you are seeking and the thermocline. Lakes stratify into three separate layers with the onset of warm weather and generally stay that way until fall. The middle layer of water, where there is a large concentration of dissolved oxygen, baitfish and therefore predator fish is called the thermocline and can generally be DOWNRIGGER/DODGER/SPOON 6' - 10' found from 10 to 80 feet down. This is not only an oxygen-saturated layer, LUHR JENSEN™ 20# LINE but a temperature layer as well and fish relate to it as both a comfort zone COYOTE SPOON 18" to 30" LEADER and a zone where their body metabolism functions efficiently. DOWNRIGGER & SPOON The peak feeding and optimum temperature for coho and chinook salmon 0 0 0 10' - 20' 8# - 20# LINE is 55 with an active range of 44 to 58 . For lake trout, peak feeding and COYOTE SPOON optimum temperature is 500 with activity from 430 to 530. For steelhead Flashers are yet another kind of attractor that can be used with a trout, optimum temperature is between 500 and 550 with activity from 400 spoon behind a downrigger. Flashers such as the Coyote or Abe & Al to 750. Brown and rainbow trout have an optimum temperature preference produce a deliberate, slow roll which often is favored by species such between 550 and 600 with activity from 440 to 750. Striped bass exhibit a range as chinook and lake trout. Because of the rotating nature of the flasher, of temperature preference from 600 to 780 with the optimum temperature spoons trailed behind must have more leader than with dodgers. between 700 and 720. FISH PREFERENCES Fish rarely venture out of these preferred temperature zones, except to Certain fish species, particularly larger fish, display specific preferences when catch a meal and then will return quickly. One thing to remember when it comes to trolling spoons and/or colors. The following species-by-species fishing temperature layers such as the thermocline is that it can change breakdown will provide valuable information you can apply immediately. from day to day because of wind and/or wave action and you’ll have to COHO SALMON - When the temperature is right in fresh water, coho salmon locate it each time out. are surface or shallow water oriented and can be found, for the most part, SPECIALIZED FINISHES at depths less than 50 feet. Coho especially like fast action spoons and Fish definitely see color and/or shades of color and can be very fussy about the added action of a small dodger ahead of a spoon. The Coyote Spoon is it. One of the big advantages of trolling with spoons is the wide variety of geared for coho fishing. specialized finishes available . there’s a color to fit every angling situation. CHINOOK SALMON - When compared with coho, fresh water chinook prefer METAL PLATE - Metal finishes are available in most spoons. This finish deeper water. They often shy away from unnatural movements in the water produces a highly reflective shine that simply reflects a much higher so longer leaders often are used. Proven chinook spoons all have a deliberate, percentage of light, like a baitfish, under a variety of different light conditions wobbling side-to-side action when trolled at medium to fast speeds. The and at different depths. Coyote Spoon is also a great Chinook lure. Because chinook are often found FISHSCALE - The natural, iridescent look of baitfish scales has proved deep, blue or green-painted finishes are effective, as are glow-in-the-dark extremely productive at all depths. patterns. Silver or Pearl also are know chinook color favorites. GLO FINISHES - The glowing effect is particularly effective in deep water. LAKE TROUT - Lake trout prefer slow, deliberate-action lures and/or attractors. point and a knife-like cutting edge. The Krocodile® is a popular spoon for lake trout which generally lie close to the bottom or in the lower level of the thermocline.